Man arrested after firing assault rifle shots at elementary school

A man is in custody after being accused of firing several rounds from an assault rifle inside an elementary school in Decatur, Georgia. Students at the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy were evacuated after 20-year-old gunman Michael Brandon Hill, armed with an AK-47, walked into the administrative offices and held two employees captive for a time. There were no injuries reported.

According to local news publication the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, students were evacuated by bus to a nearby Wal-Mart parking lot where their parents picked them up. Hill exchanged fire with police before being arrested. The standoff lasted hours, as Hill ordered his captives, including school bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff, to call local television stations and address the school over the intercom.

“I just started talking to him and allowing him to know some of my stories and let him know what was going on with me and that it would be OK,” Tuff told the source. “He had me actually get on the intercom and tell everybody he was sorry, too. But I told them, he was sorry, but do not come out of their rooms.”

Hill indicated to Tuff that he had failed to take his “medication” and wasn’t going to hurt her, but would “kill all the police officers”.

It’s unclear what kind of access control systems were in place at McNair Academy, but if you’re a school administrator concerned about the safety and security of your campus, it’s essential that you consult with an Atlanta alarm company to determine what solutions are available to you. These systems can help prevent unauthorized access and make the difference in dangerous situations. For more information, contact American Alarm at (770) 645-0061.